The once-cozy town hall format has suddenly turned into “town hells” for legislators on the stump for President Obama’s proposed healthcare reform. Some Republicans have taken to calling the disruptions “recess roasts.”

But Senator Specter has said that he expects other legislators will face the same ordeal in their home districts during the August break. Indeed, such rowdy events could be worrisome to Democrats, especially if the party can’t muster constituents to equal or stand up to rowdy opposition groups. The Republicans, too, have ground to lose, especially if they’re seen as instigators of rude and unfair behavior.

The American tradition of town halls, after all, tends to single out hecklers as antithetical to civilized debate. The British system, meanwhile, has a longer tradition of vociferous political opposition, epitomized by the Hyde Park hecklers.

“If the impression comes out that people all across the country are spontaneously arguing against the healthcare bills and shouting that we don’t need them, then that certainly helps opponents,” says Kathleen Kendall of the University of Maryland’s communications department. “If, on the other hand, Republicans are tarred and blamed for this – that this is an unfair and rude approach – that may lead to the necessity of some Republican leaders speaking out against it.”